127. Childhood Reminisces – One of my Bosses

This was during my vocation in Delhi.  I had a very smiling boss, who would keep on smiling whatever the occasion.  I have never seen him getting very angry over anything, except once, which is outside the scope of this blog😊!!  Whenever he used to admonish someone, he used to do in such a way that it seems he is requesting them not to do that!! He always used to carry the Business India Planner and used to diligently remove previous years pages and refill it with the new ones, once the new year came.  Since I will be mostly visiting clients and prospects and would be roaming around Delhi, I would be assigned the task of buying the refills each year😊. Of course, he only paid for it😊.

During that time, year 1992 to be exact, Basic Instinct, the Sharon Stone movie, had come to the Chanakya cinema hall.  The movie was a superhit and I had already seen it once with one of my office colleagues.  The movie was a highly-censored version that was released in India, but still was an Adults-only movie.  One of my colleagues in the office, a girl, asked me if I will take her to the movie.  She said her friends are not interested in seeing the movie and she wants to see it.  And she did not want to go alone as she would have to stand in line for a ticket and she was not comfortable standing in line for this movie😊. I told her that the movie was an Adult one and if it is ok for her to see the movie with me.  She asked me if I had a problem.  I said no, as for me, a friend is a friend, irrespective of their gender.  She then said, she can come if I don’t have any problem.

I then asked my boss whether he too would like to see the movie.  He had heard about the movie as being a thriller and said he will also come.  I told her that our colleague is also coming and he was ok with it. I checked with my colleague and she was also ok with our boss joining with us.  We were four office-friends that time and there was one more girl in our bunch.  I think she was on leave or did not want to come for the movie.  I don’t remember now😊.

At that time (I am not aware about now), Chanakya had a Quick Booking counter in Connaught Place, from where you can book the ticket and then land in the theatre to see the movie.  I booked the ticket for that evening and told my friends that tickets were procured and they can come direct to the theatre. 

I reached the hall after meeting my clients/prospects and both of them came in my boss’s car from the office. We saw the movie together in the theatre and walked out after the movie ended. When I asked my colleague about the movie, she said the movie was ok.  I asked my boss about his opinion.  He just smiled and said we will talk tomorrow.  Considering his statement, alarm bells started ringing in my ears😊!!

Next day morning I had a “class” in his cabin😊.  He started asking me how I can take him to such a film.  Also why did I take the girl colleague to the movie.  He said I should not have done it.  He said what the girl will think about seeing such a movie with us.  I told him that I had told her earlier about the movie and she was still ok for going for it.  He then told me not to take him to any such movie in future.  I think that was the last time I went out for a movie with him😊!!  And during the whole time of the “class” too, he never raised his voice😊.  Of course, he was very angry on me, but couldn’t show his anger.  I am sure he would have talked more about this incident, that time, in the “class”, but I don’t remember anything else😊!!  

As mentioned above, we had one more girl colleague in our friends-bunch.  So, we four would go out together for lunch/dinner sometimes, for someone’s birthday or some other occasion.  All of us were unmarried during that time.  During one of the lunches, we were discussing whether we would still be in touch with each other after about 10 years or so.  All the three were very confident that indeed we would be in touch.  I was the lone exception.  I told the group that I may be in touch with the boss, but I am not sure about being in touch with the other 2 girls.  Maybe I was using my powers of seeing the future😊😊!!  But as destiny reigns supreme, I am in touch only with my boss as of now, he is also a subscriber to my blog😊, but I don’t have any idea where the other 2 people are!!

There are some more remembrances that I have about my boss, but they can’t be put to paper😊.  He is now retired, having been a professor at a reputed institute and is still smiling away😊!!  Just the other day he said he would be launching his book on Corporate Finance, that he has written, once the lockdown is lifted!!

Cheers until next time!!

Today’s Observation

It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them😊!!